novelraw Chapter 64 : Chapter 64
Chapter 64 : Chapter 64
Chapter 64: The Path (2)
I had even thought that water might flow along the Deep Sea's path.
'A futile imagination.'
Serzila's Search Route was clear.
A path had formed because it had been traveled so frequently.
Even in the incomprehensible Boundary, traces were bound to be left if they accumulated.
The Otherworld was not much different.
They too were people who ultimately had to tread the ground.
'It's not that obvious, though.'
However, their steps were cautious.
It might be because the paths were as varied as tree branches, but a more primary reason would be their consciousness of the other Magic Towers.
A path is a Magic Tower's asset and the result of their thirst for knowledge about the Boundary. It is research and achievement.
Mages who share the fruits of their labor are rare.
If that was the case even with colleagues, how much more so with other groups.
I had essentially picked up one such fruit.
Of course, I didn't have the leisure to investigate it in detail.
'On the contrary, contact might become more frequent.'
As it was a Magic Tower's route, the probability of encountering a Mage must have increased.
'I'll have to hope it's a closed path.'
The sky was as dark as a starless night sky.
Against that pitch-black background, a single line of smoke was drawn.
It was the smoke from the Watchtower.
The path I was walking on did not overlap with the smoke, but the direction was the same.
It was reason enough to advance.
Suddenly, blood was embroidered beneath the pitch-black sky.
Lowering my gaze slightly, blood was gushing like a fountain. The fountain was a Magical Beast. To be precise, a Magical Beast with only its body remaining.
Its head was bouncing and rolling far away. Ellen, who had cut down the Magical Beast, casually flicked her sword and returned.
"It seems to be really safe."
A Magic Tower's path is not a safe path, but a relatively safe path.
Ellen was feeling firsthand how big a difference that "relatively" made.
"It's not called a path for nothing."
The second wall was the central part of the Boundary.
Even though we were heading there, the Magical Beasts we had encountered so far were at most 4th Rank. Their number had just surpassed ten.
It was a similar context to how there were relatively few Magical Beasts inhabiting Serzila's Search Routes.
The Mages who used the path must have periodically dealt with the nearby Magical Beasts.
'And they would have avoided areas inhabited by high-rank Magical Beasts.'
Perhaps because of that, the path twisted and turned.
There was clearly a zone they were avoiding.
The path curved to the south.
Looking north, something like light was pouring down like rain.
Each streak was a lightning bolt.
Within it, a huge black shadow slithered. It must be a Magical Beast.
Even that was information.
I planted that information onto the map in my head.
A map of the Boundary with an overwhelming amount of blank space.
"If we encounter a Mage, we'll kill them immediately."
At my sudden words, Ellen's eyes widened.
"What's gotten into you?"
"If you gain something, you must also give something up."
I had made a point of talking to every Otherworld Mage I met.
It was to induce chaos in the Otherworld and, at the same time, to dig for even a little more information about it.
"Is it because you don't know which Magic Tower's path this is?"
I would have to know which Magic Tower's path it was to pretend to be a Mage from that tower.
Of course, there was a high probability that this was the Deep Sea's path.
But there was always a "what if." It was better to deal with them before getting further into the Boundary.
"There's that, but this isn't a place for conversation."
We are heading towards the heart of the Boundary.
It's hard enough to be wary of Magical Beasts, let alone chat with a Mage.
* * *
"Kubel!"
Ellen shouted.
It meant danger.
Kubel immediately threw himself to the side. A palm the size of his torso slammed down where he had been.
The ground, which was made of something like internal organs, was crushed, and debris scattered in all directions.
A curve was roughly drawn through that mushy and sticky debris. Ellen's sword had vertically sliced the Magical Beast's arm and head.
There were no bones in that cross-section.
It was a Magical Beast composed solely of flesh and entrails. There were seven such Magical Beasts. Kubel, even while rolling, did not let go of the cigarette in his mouth.
"Kubel."
I called.
It meant to create smoke. Kubel sucked and spat with all his might from the ground. The smoke transferred to the Magical Beast right in front of him. It soon spread into fire and engulfed the Magical Beast.
The Magical Beast did not melt, but exploded. Flesh and fire flew in all directions like volcanic bombs. As soon as the fire touched the other Magical Beasts, it spread rapidly.
The Magical Beasts let out sticky screams.
This time, the fire did not explode. While they were suffering in the flames, Ellen beheaded them one by one.
"...Let's go quickly."
Ellen said after finishing off all the Magical Beasts.
She looked tired. It wasn't because identically shaped Magical Beasts were approaching from afar.
Nor was it because the Magical Beasts were difficult.
They were 3rd Rank. They were stronger than Kubel, but not particularly difficult for Ellen.
However, it was mentally exhausting.
The appearance of the Magical Beasts, composed only of flesh, was gruesome.
Something resembling internal organs dangled from the lumpy flesh, and just looking at it made one want to vomit. The smell was even more terrible.
Even the ground was like internal organs.
It was mushy and sticky, and the fact that it was warm was the most repulsive part. The trees that grew here and there bore internal organs instead of fruit.
"...If you eat it, I'll kill you."
Ellen laid down a threat to me, who was drooling. She hated this land, and she hated the sight of him absorbing the hearts that grew in this land.
I helped Kubel up and quietly followed behind Ellen.
Her strides were extremely long, and with each step, her form advanced rapidly.
Kubel had to run at full speed just to barely keep up.
Thanks to that, the end came quickly into view. The ground of internal organs ended, and ice crunched underfoot. It was blue, like looking at a glacier. Thump, thump! Ellen stomped on the ice fiercely, shaking off her feet.
I lit a fire on the ice ground and made three bathtub-sized puddles of water.
"Can I go in?"
"I don't think it can get any worse than this."
All three of them were a mess.
Covered in flesh and blood. Ellen immediately got into a puddle. She rolled her body a few times and came out.
Ellen, soaking wet, looked at me.
He snapped his fingers lightly. The fire that rose took away her moisture.
The control of that fire was amazing. The now-dry Ellen smiled with a satisfied face. And then, belatedly, she worried. It was when I had dried my own body and Kubel's as well.
"Aren't you supposed to be conserving magic?"
"It's fine, I've absorbed a lot."
I still had some to spare. I couldn't absorb the flesh Magical Beasts, but I had absorbed not a few hearts before that.
And, another was approaching.
"What does it look like?"
I asked Kubel, pointing at the approaching herd of Magical Beasts.
"They look like Demon Goats. Though they're much bigger than what I've heard of on the continent."
There are Magical Beasts on the continent as well.
They are weaker than the Magical Beasts of the North, and the Magical Beasts of the North are weaker than the Magical Beasts of the Boundary.
It was proof that long ago, the Otherworld existed on the continent, and that the continent had pushed the Otherworld to the polar regions.
"You'd probably find such individuals on the continent if you look for them, since deviation exists everywhere."
However, in the Boundary, that deviation was the norm.
The Demon Goats Kubel knew were twice the size of a normal goat. But the ones rushing towards them were the size of a small stable.
"What do we do?"
"Same as before. As quickly as possible."
We can't fight for long.
Even though it was a relatively safe path, it was still the Boundary.
The second wall, stretching to the south, looked much larger than before.
It meant we were that much closer to the heart. If we delayed, we might be spotted by a high-rank Magical Beast.
That sense of caution was deeply ingrained in Ellen.
It was because of the rabbit. If even one such Magical Beast appeared, they would be annihilated.
And yet, the reason they were advancing along the path was not just because of my desire to follow the smoke of the Watchtower.
"I'll do it."
Ellen drew her sword towards the Demon Goats.
The corners of her mouth were smiling. That beautiful yet fierce smile was another reason they were advancing.
The idol of the knights of Serzila, those battle enthusiasts.
Ellen enjoys the thrill more than anyone. She finds pleasure on the brink of death.
The person named Elaine was the type to die fighting if left alone.
That was her nature.
At that time, when she met the rabbit.
Elaine was ambushed and taken out of the fight.
But as soon as she came to her senses, she drew her sword and looked for the rabbit first.
Even though she felt the overwhelming gap, she had intended to fight first.
-My personality is quite bad. I need someone to control me.
The personality the Elaine of the past life had spoken of also included such a nature.
It was the reason my personality had been corrected.
Elaine had wanted me to stop her in many ways.
A faint jet-black color flickered. The sword, imbued with Serzila's unique Aura, stirred the herd of Demon Goats. Ellen, standing in the middle of the herd, went on a rampage.
"...Is it alright not to stop her?"
Kubel asked with a weary face.
She seemed to look like a crazy woman to him.
"It's fine. She's always like that."
The regressed me felt no reason to stop her.
I just need to pull the reins appropriately when she seems to be going too far.
What the Elaine of the past life had wanted was not correction, but control. This life would be the same.
Blood flowed like a river over the ice ground. It was the blood of the Demon Goat herd. Ellen, in the center of the corpses, covered in blood, licked her lips.
"Anymore?"
"No."
A low-rising fire rushed forward and came to a sudden stop in front of Ellen. The melted ice ground splashed, washing Ellen. Her head cooled down.
"Dry my wetness too."
Ellen smiled sheepishly.
* * *
The carcasses of the hacked-up Demon Goats were a mess, but amidst it all, their hearts were intact.
Even in her excitement, Ellen had been conscious of me.
I found that fact commendable and was proud of her.
It was a consideration that would have been impossible not long ago.
"You're welcome, right?"
"Thank you."
I pulled out the heart of the largest carcass.
With my other hand, I took out the bead I had kept in my bosom.
It was the bead given by the rabbit, the Magical Beast that Cassion had called the Moon's Divine Beast.
At first, this bead was silver.
To be precise, the bead was filled with silver magic.
Now, it was empty.
Cassion did not know how to fill the silver magic. It couldn't be filled with my or Cassion's magic.
I placed the bead on my left palm and slowly squeezed the heart over it. Dripping blood soaked the bead.
It wasn't the first time I had done this.
Coming this far, I had gone through this same process several times.
'It's not the magic of a Magical Beast either.'
As expected, there was no change. The blood-stained bead did not fill with a silver light. It was the same even when I rubbed the heart on it.
'Was it the rabbit's magic?'
Or the moon?
Either way, it was troublesome. I disliked the rabbit, and I had never heard of a Mage whose Origin was the moon, even in my past life. The probability that they didn't exist was high.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and channeled my magic. The fire licked up the heart and then spread to the other carcasses.
The magic flowing through the flames made my heart a little heavier.
'I'm really crazy.'
Looking into my mindscape for a moment, I unconsciously raised the corners of my mouth.
I was still 3rd Rank, but compared to my past life, it was an absurd growth rate.
The sun now was several times larger than the sun of my 3rd Rank in my past life.
At this rate, even if not as much as Tyrell Aquins, wouldn't I be as much of a connoisseur as a common noble of the Otherworld?
An increase in magic did not simply mean an increase in the number or range of magic manifestations.
'It becomes stable.'
A puddle is precarious even to a small ripple, but for a lake or an ocean, it's as if nothing happened.
The more magic one possesses, the less one is swayed by one's own magic.
Of course, if the scale of that magic is huge, the story would be different, but in any case.
The more magic increases, the weaker the aftereffects of Projection become.
'And then I'll reach 4th Rank.'
It was a shortcut made possible by regression.
Because not to mention a normal 3rd Rank, even a clumsy 4th Rank couldn't even dream of Projection.
When my saliva dried up, Ellen once again stood at the front.
We didn't discuss how far we would go.
I felt sorry for Kubel, but Ellen didn't want to go back. She was becoming fascinated by the brink of death that was the Boundary.
I didn't bother to stop her.
The path of some Magic Tower was not yet cut off, and it was still in the same direction as the smoke from the Watchtower.
Crucially, Ellen would grow rapidly the more she experienced the brink of death.
My role was to distinguish that brink of death.
The more she overcame the brink of death, the deeper Serzila's jet-black would become.
'We can go a little further.'
So far, there hadn't been a moment that could be called the brink of death.
The second wall was slowly beginning to be felt in its grandeur, but in reality, it was still a long way off.
The distorted magic of the Boundary warps space.
This land, which is narrow on the map, might feel wider than the North.
The ice ground was cut off. Crossing that seemingly severed boundary line, what my feet stepped on was a crisply cracked ground.
The cracked shape looked like the bark of a tree, and when I peeled off a piece and chewed it, it was indeed similar.
It wasn't just the ground.
This was a forest. But it was gloomy. There was no grass or leaves, only trees existed.
The countless trees resembled willows, but at the ends of their branches, other branches hung down instead of leaves. Their number was as dense as hair.
As we approached, the tree suddenly moved.
The branches swung like a broom, sweeping the surroundings. Each and every tree was a Magical Beast.
Ellen, instead of approaching further or swinging her sword, looked at me.
It was because the Magical Beasts were trees. Considering the compatibility, there was no one more suitable than me.
The option to go around did not exist.
The path lay through the forest. We had to cross through those tree Magical Beasts.
'Strange.'
A relatively safe path.
That was the definition of a Magic Tower's path. But we have to break through a herd of Magical Beasts?
“What do you think?”
I asked Kubel.
I wanted to hear an unbiased interpretation.
But there was no need for Kubel to open his mouth.
From far away, the answer was approaching.
“They're Mages.”
In Ellen's eyes, their identity was clearly visible.